Huge win for environmental law today as Federal Court of Appeal reverses lower court by upholding federal listing of Plastic Manufactured Items as toxic. Expect fireworks from all sides politically, but this is a helpful step in clarifying this area of the law. decisions.fca-caf.ca/fca-caf/deci...

New Post: What Are the Implications of the International Court’s Climate Change Advisory Opinion for Provinces? ablawg.ca/2026/01/26...…on-for-provinces/

New Post: The New Brunswick Court of Appeal Weighs in on Aboriginal Title and Private Lands ablawg.ca/2026/01/14...…nd-private-lands/

Beauty chinook arch this morning. No oil required. #yycbike

On the matter of climate policy rollbacks in a context of the AB-Ottawa MOU, UNDRIP, COP30 and so much else going on. Insightful coverage by Moira Donovan via @cba-nationalmag.bsky.social . And an @ablawg.bsky.social post in the works to expand on some of this.

Political hot potatoes giving way to cooler heads? Devilish details will matter. Aspects I’ll be watching: language around Indigenous & B.C. consent, target tanker ban exemption vs repeal, pathways plus price tag… and how this all fits in Canada’s carbon budget (or not!). www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

PONIs or PHONIs? My latest ABlawg post on the subject of where things stand following yesterday's announcement of the second tranche of "major projects" / PONIs. And an imperfect glossary to try to make sense of the odd mix of terminology circulating.

Oil pipelines never cease to generate political friction and legal confusion. I spoke w @markhamhislop.bsky.social about the latest Alberta-BC spat and the relevant legal landscape. Might help clear the air to the extent possible, but open legal questions linger. m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt9Q...

Helpful modelling from @pembina.org here. Canada and Alberta should both be transparently doing same and then relating it to comprehensive emission reduction plans and scenarios that demonstrate achieving climate commitments (or not). Present “grand bargain” discourse needs to be contextualized.

Bill to create a new Commissioner of Modern Treaty Implementation re-tabled as Bill C-10. Good to see. www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en...

First 5 PONIs now identified under the Building Canada Act. But is it a case of hot to trot, or all for naught? TLDR: legal framework is in place to corral PONIs and lead to greenlight pastures. But it behooves the govt to get implementation right at this early juncture. ablawg.ca/2025/09/25/f...

Carbon pricing gone. And now ZEV pause. www.cbc.ca/news/politic... As federal GHG emission reduction measures slip, there’s still a legal requirement for the Carney government to present a comprehensive plan at some point. Will slip lead to fall? Under CNZEAA it shouldn’t ablawg.ca/2025/06/23/f...

What’s going on with federal climate policy? C-5 has taken up a lot of oxygen so it’s fair to wonder. Also fair to fret. We do have a law to reduce risk of backslipping. Is it up to the task? Can we have no fear, or at least less fear, because CNZEAA is still here? My latest via @ablawg.bsky.social

Update: Bill C-5 will pass third reading today. Now senate for most of next week. Finish line likely next Friday. BUT amendments from house committee mostly adopted. These create some guardrails and constraints that steer toward transparency and accountability. www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentView...

New Post: Provincial Referendum Legislation, Citizen-Led Secession Proposals, and Non-Derogation Clauses ablawg.ca/2025/06/11...

Bill C-5 / Building Canada Act sure ain’t impact assessment; it’s an unprecedented deregulation move in modern times. Serious risk that ‘move fast and make things’ results in move fast and break things’. Leap before you look = risky at best. w/ @molszyns.bsky.social ablawg.ca/2025/06/10/b...

Latest reports from Canada’s federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development just released: www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/Eng...

Oooooh boy, @davevwright.bsky.social and I have been brewing some hearty @ablawg.bsky.social soup this past weekend. Looking forward to sharing it tomorrow — strong ‘Building Canada’ flavour. #BillC5 #cdnpoli

And just like that, it’s over. But what a two weeks it was for this special group of students in this year’s Modern Treaties & the Law course in the Yukon. Deep experiential learning, immersed in special spaces and communities. Huge thanks to all involved, including these courageous students.

Fantastic first week of this year’s Modern Treaties and the Law course with @roberthamilton.bsky.social and a group of wonderful @ucalgary.bsky.social students. Amazing to see students’ deep learning happening right before your eyes.

Seem like a good time to re-up this piece from @davevwright.bsky.social and myself: ablawg.ca/2019/11/01/a...

Haven’t done this for decades but seems wise as summer-spring travel season begins.

A must read post by my colleague and impact assessment guru, Arlene Kwasniak. The case for federal impact assessment is not just some intergenerational moralistic plea. It’s rooted in economics imperatives, constitutional obligations, scientific integrity, ecosystem realities, and good governance.

Watching the federal debate? Want fact check resource re ‘C-69’? Voila below. Reality - federal project assessment regime gives ample basis to show case project benefits. For better or worse, thumb is on scale for *approving* all projects, incl energy projects. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

So much crap but remember that bikes are still pure goodness. Even with snow and sub-zero temps… IN APRIL! #biketowork #yyc

Corridors back in the news, once again an election issue. Discussion here on s.35 Indigenous consultation, incl links to deeper dive. ablawg.ca/wp-content/u... TLDR: you can change your approach; you can’t shortcut Crown consultation. (Same for ‘shovel ready zones’, whatev that’s supposed to mean)

Keep this in mind as you think about today's events: The United States is Appeasing Evil www.persuasion.community/p/the-united...

What a beauty. Goose over eagle, north over south, grit over goons, red & white over fake orange. Sleep well, Canada 💪

Hey Bluesky gang, a friendly but earnest reminder that if you’re in Canada or care about Canada, here is a go to legal resource that cuts through the fog every time. For information on how to lead in these trying times, give it a follow! bsky.app/profile/abla...

Rule number one for a lower power party in negotiation and conflict: coalition building. Don’t stand alone. If Canada stays in bilateral tit-for-tat tariff mode we’re toast. It’s time for a coordinated response with intl trade partners, US states, cities, and everyday American friends.

New Post: ABlawg Year in Review 2024 ablawg.ca/2024/12/31...

ICYMI www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7400907

Woah. This is a BFD. As any Cdn energy policy fan would know, the Churchill Falls contract debacle has cast a long political and legal shadow for decades. Many good reasons to resolve. One aspect to watch is to what extent are Innu Nation interests represented & satisfied… www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

New Post: A Landmark Decision in Canadian Charter-based Climate Litigation: Mathur v Ontario, 2024 ONCA 762 ablawg.ca/2024/10/31...

Net zero commitments continue to proliferate, incl in Canada at sub-national levels. Latest is Northwest Territories. Meeting the target will be tough, but possible. And an important opportunity at intersection of decarb & Indigenous self determination. www-cbc-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbc....

There’s no such thing as a free ton #Milton

IAA amendments are out! (*Steve Martin phone books GIF*) Initial impression: fed govt took SCC guidance very seriously and meticulously tied key junctures $ definitions back to federal jurisdiction and notions of ‘non-negligible’ effect. A few initial observations 1/ fin.canada.ca/drleg-apl/20...

New Post: What Did the Court Mean When It Said that UNDRIP “has been incorporated into the country’s positive law”? Appellate Guidance or Rhetorical Flourish? ablawg.ca/2024/02/28...

New Post: Legislative Reconciliation and Indigenous Rights of Self-Government: Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families ablawg.ca/2024/02/20...

HUGE development in Canadian constitutional law today. SCC finds C-92 constitutional. Door much wider open to exercise of inherent jurisdiction of Indigenous Peoples… and therefore revitalization of Indigenous laws and governance. Long road ahead, but big day. decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-...

Excellent post by my colleagues re climate litigation in Canada…

Aaaaand that’s a wrap on the 2024 @UCalgaryLaw Negotiations course. The students crushed it(!) but in the most collaborative & respectful way of course. By the numbers: 3 weeks, 140+ students, 2 campuses, countless simulations, more than 50 practitioners and guests. Thank you all! 🙏

Gotta do it

Never fails that the -30(!!!) cold snap hits during the UCalgary Law 2L Negotiations downtown. But the students muscled through on an extra special day that included the interactive Blanker Exercise and wonderful guests providing their Indigenous perspectives and wisdom. Now onward to Part 2!

Week 1 of @UCalgaryLaw 2L negations course complete! Off to an excellent start w a wonderful group of 140+ students. And what a way to end this week’s curriculum - a special presentation on mindfulness and the legal profession by esteemed guest Dr Thomas Telfer of UWestern Law. 🙏

Good to see ABlawg's year-in-review post. Proud to be associated with ABlawg and kudos to editors @jenniferkoshan.bsky.social and @davevwright.bsky.social and student editor Athina Pantazopoulos. The most read post this year dealt with Premier Smith's ill-advised renewables pause decision.

A pleasure to team up w @molszyns.bsky.social to discuss the IAA reference case on this excellent MJSDL podcast. A helpful plain language overview of what happened at the SCC and what to expect next. (And it pairs very nicely with headphones and evening chores.) open.spotify.com/episode/0hMP...

Great @ablawg.bsky.social post by Mike Wenig in which he confirms in the attached paper what we knew all along - namely that the AUC was already dealing competently with land use issues associated with renewables projects & that there was no need for the seven month politically motivated pause.

This course in Environmental Impact Assessment Law is always a treat to teach, but it has been extra special this fall given the Supreme Court case in the federal IAA. The students have been amazing, rising to every experiential learning challenge! news.ucalgary.ca/news/policy-...

New Post: Transmission Policy in Alberta ablawg.ca/2023/11/21...